2017 Honda Civic Type R spy pics

ONE of the most eagerly awaited hot-hatches in years might still be about nine months from your dealership, but the 2017 Honda Civic Type R is already strutting its stuff in Australia.

Sprung stalking the streets of suburban Sydney this week, the high-performance flagship of the 10th-generation small-car range is here undergoing final hot-climate testing, before landing officially in the second-half of next year.

And how could anybody miss this camouflaged crusader against the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Focus RS, Peugeot 308 GTi and Renault Megane RS 265, with its diamond mesh grilles, bulging bonnet scoop, massive air intakes behind the front wheels, wide-track 20-inch black alloys with Brembo brake callipers, triple exhaust outlets and aircraft-carrier-sized rear spoiler? This thing means business!

A similar but production-ready looking evaluation 2017 Civic Type R hatch – and this time minus the swirls – was also spotted stretching its legs this week, this time in Southern California.

While Honda Australia spokesman Neil McDonald refused to elaborate timing, pricing, and other Civic Type R details that we’re all dying to know, he did have this to say about the rogue prototype.

"Obviously we are doing a lot of testing globally, including in California. As we're planning to sell the car here, it is important that it undergoes validation drives in each market, starting with some hot-weather testing," he revealed.

“We did a similar thing with the NSX some time ago, where Honda Motor brought several prototypes out to Australia also for hot-weather testing, because it is an important part of the validation process.”

Why the Sydney prototype is skulking around wearing all that cladding is a mystery, since the production version was actually unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in late September in all its muscular glory.

To recap, the version that lands next September Down Under will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbo petrol screamer that should easily eclipse the 228kW/400Nm outputs boasted by the existing, Europe-only Mk9 Civic Type R hatch. Expect a circa-5.5s sprint time to 100km/h, and a top speed in excess of 275km/h. Heady stuff!

Though it is based on the same five-door hatchback bodystyle that will debut in the bread-and-butter versions in the first quarter of next year, the Japanese hot-hatch superstar will most likely be sourced from Honda’s Swindon plant in the UK, and not Thailand like the others.

We obviously cannot wait, so as soon as more info comes to hand, we’ll let you know too. Watch this space.

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Have spy pics of your own? We'd love to see them. Just email them to wheels@bauertrader.com.au